Safe and Sound
Part of the Songfic Series OA is Taylor Swift feat. The Civil Wars. This will be depressing and sort of long, so beware Safe and Sound I remember tears streaming down your face '' :"Cobwebs are the basis of wound healing." Featherpad was saying. Her silver-blue eyes gleamed in the dim den and I nod happily. Medicine cats have to know these things, especially because of the war. :A dusty footed warrior streaks into the den, "Gorsepaw, they need you in the leader's den," :I bid farewell to my mentor and headed across the spacious WindClan camp towards my father's den. I enter, my happy moon fading as I notice my grim faced mother and father, my brother- Sootpaw, and a messenger. I sit, "What's going on?" :"Sootpaw's been called to battle," my mother meows in a chocked voice. Blood rushes in my ears and I look to my father who seems helpless. :"No," I meow, "He's the leader's son, he shouldn't have to-" :"Everyone has given up children and mates," my father meows brokenly, "We cannot put ourselves above them." :"Then take me too!" I look at the messenger desperately, then to my parents. Sootpaw makes a strangled sob and for the first time I notice the tears streaking down his cheeks. He must be terrified. :"We can't take untrained medicine cats," the messenger recites boredly. Then, almost apologetically, he says, "I'm truly sorry. But Sootpaw has to come with me. Tonight. He's going to the front lines where RiverClan is helping to make a raid on the ShadowClan and ThunderClan base." :My mother lets out another choked sound. I cannot let this happen. Sootpaw has trained as a warrior, knowing this might happen. But we never thought it would. The war was always a distant scary thing that we only thought of when father had to leave the prey to go talk to others about it. ''When I said I'll never let you go. :"You can't take him!" I meow desperately, crouching in front of my brother as if I could take on three grown cats and save him. :"Gorsepaw..." my father begins :"No!" I say shrilly, "You can't take him without taking me and you can't take me so you can't take him." Clearly this is not as flawless as I had hoped and my mother bursts into tears. The messenger shuffles uncomfortably and father looks angry. :"Mistleaf, Sootpaw, Crow-wing, would you mind waiting outside?" my mother, brother, and the messenger nod and respectively step outside. :"It's not fair!" I meow. :My father turns towards me, tired and broken, "I know. But we have to do it. And you can't go. At all. If they saw you they'd be forced to bring you back or kill you. And if the enemies got you...." he sits, eyes cloudy, "It's bad enough having to send Sootpaw. I can't loose you too. And chances of a 10 moon old apprentice coming back are slim. I can't.....I can't..." he trails off, going to some distant place where he stores all his pains and hides them from the rest of the world. :"You can't do this," I whisper, "Father, please-" :"No!" his thunderous voice shocks me into silence, "This is upsetting your mother and it's making me look bad! Sootpaw will be fine and you're confined to your den." :I flee his den, wondering how the war used to be so far away when it's ruining my life now. When all those shadows almost killed your light. '' :I find Sootpaw in the empty warrior's den. All the warriors are either fighting or patrolling or hunting. I can't remember a time when someone had the time to take a nap in the middle of the day. :"Sootpaw..." :"I always wanted to be a warrior," he meows distantly, he turns to me, the light that usually dances in his eyes extinguished. "Guess I'll never know," :"You'll be fine!" I hiss, "I'll teach you about herbs and we can spar and-" :"But herbs and sparring won't save me when a huge ThunderClan warrior rips me in two!" he hisses, eyes angry, "I'm a leader's son, every cat on the field will hate me more then anyone else- my own warriors included! I can't win, so I'll have to loose! And loosing means-" :"Don't say it!" I beg. His eyes soften and he seems to shrink. :"I can't be Robinstar's precious son out there," he says sadly. "I'm gonna have to watch out for myself." :I sink my claws into the earth, hating myself, hating the world, hating the fact that my brother could be dead tomorrow morning while I'll be sitting about learning the names of herbs I'll never use. ''I remember you said don't leave me here alone. :"Gorsepaw..." Sootpaw's eyes are terrified and dark in the dim of the den- not their usual mischievous blue. "I'm so scared," he whispers. :I curl my tail around him, "Don't be." :"But I am!" he starts to cry again, "I'm gonna die!" :It hits me again, a pain in my chest and a tumbling stomach- life without my brother. No late night raids on the fresh-kill piles, no tussling in the mornings. I will never hear his laugh or see his smile. He will be cold and dead and gone, gone far away, dead in a place where no one will mourn him. :"I don't want to go alone..." he sniffles, seeming younger and younger. :"I won't let you," I meow suddenly, "I'm coming with you." :His eyes are bid, "You c-can't! They'll murder ''you out there!" :"How's that any different from them murdering ''you?" I exclaim incredulously. :"Um..." he can't answer and I cuff him around the ear gently. :"I'm coming," I meow, "And you can't stop me." But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight. :"Love has no place on the battle field," the captain barks at us. We are being shipped out to battle tomorrow after a week of training. :Sootpaw draws people to him in training, he is calm, collected, and confident. And very good at fighting. Everyone just assumes I'm his annoying brother who can't fight at all. No one knows I'm a medicine cat. No one knows we are Robinstar's sons. Not yet, anyways. :"If you think that for one second the enemy will let you mourn a fallen comrade for a few minutes before attacking, you are wrong!" he shouted the last word, "They are merciless! So it's best to leave your feelings ''back here so when and if you ''come back you can pick them up and skip on home!" :I hate it here. These are ruthless killers and they make me hate my Clan almost as much as I hate the messenger who came to take Sootpaw away. I hate the captains who scream and scream and I hate the tiny meals made of crowfood and I hate everything. But when Sootpaw falls asleep curled up to me and trembles some, I remember why I'm here and why I have to keep going. :"It doesn't matter who you came with," the captain continues, "Or who you might die with. What matters is that you defend WindClan and our allies, RiverClan!" :The crowd cheers and I look around. Sootpaw is cheering, but I notice pain in his eyes. :We don't belong here. '' 'Just close your eyes' :"Just go to sleep Sootpaw," I meow softly. :He shakes his head without responding, sitting like an owl at the front of the den. :"Sootpaw," I meow, slightly more impatient, "No one's gonna come in and kill us, okay?" :Sootpaw turns to me and snaps, "Well we have to be careful, okay?" :"Shut up you two!" grumbles a voice from the back of the den. :"Sootpaw," I meow, quietly, "Please." :And it's evidence of my brother's growing up that he doesn't even respond, just continues to stare out into the darkness. 'The sun is going down' 'You'll be alright' 'No one can hurt you now.' 'Come morning light, ''' You and I'll be safe and sound. Don't you dare look out your window darling Everything's on fire. The war outside the door keeps raging on Hold onto this lullaby Even when the music's gone, gone... Just close your eyes... The sun is going down. You'll be alright No one can hurt you now... Come morning light 'You and I'll be Safe and sound... Category:Artimas Hunter's Fanfics Category:Songfic